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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — to shout
  3. present — there
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com